I am on day 3 of no activity due to my knee injury. The first two days were really bad – I couldn’t bend or straighten my leg, my knee was swollen like a grapefruit and nothing relieved the pain. Fortunately, I sought the advice of a friend who has a history of knee injuries. I told him I was doing RICE and he asked how much Advil I was taking. When I told him I was taking one 200mg pill twice a day he said, “You need to triple that. Take 600-800mg three times a day for the first few days. You’re not taking enough Advil to break through the inflammation.”
I’m happy to report that this has helped. The swelling is still there, but the pain has fallen off a cliff. I can walk without gasping. I can bend my knee a little bit. And I was able to sleep decently for the first time in 3 nights.
Like I wrote yesterday, this latest injury has forced me to look hard at what I’ve been doing for the past few years and to ask myself why.
I like to think that I live in an intentional, thoughtful and deliberate way. But that’s not really true.
Intentional and deliberate, yes. Thoughtful – not always.
I’ve bragged about being in the best shape of my life since I’ve become widowed. I got lean, strong and fit. I drive my body hard and can do feats that many people 20 years younger than me cannot do (including me 20 years ago).
What I try to ignore is that I keep getting injured. Sometimes, these are serious – like 2 hernias, my foot injury, and my knee. Other times these are chronic and milder like shoulder, elbow and joint “tweaks” that last for days, weeks or months.
It’s made me realize that I need to change.
Injuries and accidents may be inevitable, but I don’t need to make them happen more frequently because of some sort of obsessive exercise/ego drive.
Nobody cares about my fitness level except me. And if I’m injured all the time, then I am not fit.
I need to be able to function without pain.
Not being able to get out of a chair or walk these last few days was a real eye opener.
It’s time for me to close the fanatical exercise chapter of my life and move to the next stage.
I’ll still be working out a lot, but it will be much less than before.
At least that’s my plan. For now.
Bedsides, I can always go back to the way it was before if it doesn’t work out.